Age of Love Café sees empowered mid life beyond 'menopause'
The CLICK Arts Foundation Burlesque Squad hosted their third Age of Love Café creating a female friendly space to talk love, sex and menopause – with a focus on empowerment and awakening.
With their first "Age of Love Cafes" (pioneered by Professor Sharron Hinchliff, founder of the Sexual Rights Charter for Older Adults) featured in the United Nations State of the World Population Report as an example of the importance of places people could talk about sexual wellbeing in mid life and beyond – the event has become a regular and much enjoyed feature on CLICK’s event calendar.
The four powerful keynotes Anita Powell, founder of Menopause Alliance addressed the facts and fictions around menopause; Amanda Connolly, HR Consultant & Career Coach raised awareness of women’s rights - including that menopause is soon to become a protected characteristic; Jacqui DeSouza, shared her research on female perspectives of menopause; and Norma Soganile, UK’s National Miss Style Queen gave us an interactive session on stepping into our spotlight.
Also in attendance – and part of the hosting dance tea - was Gemma Young, this year’s UK’s National Ms Northamptonshire.
The Burlesque Squad who welcomes everybody – every body, every age (over 18), and ability - opened the event with a sparkling performance of “All That Jazz”, and together with host and instructor Dr Audrey Tang, closed with a taster session getting the whole room moving with an inclusive fully seated – and fully sassy – routine!
Refreshments were provided by and were in support of The Lewis Foundation, and a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund kept tickets completely free.
One of the attendees said: “I just wanted to say, you ran and hosted an amazing session at the Elgar Centre on September 13 for menopause. It was a a truly uplifting brilliant session and I really enjoyed listening to all your speakers and thank you for giving us opportunity to get involved in the fantastic unique dancing that you do.
"Thank you so much again for making us all feel so special individual unique and literally worth it!”
“To hear feedback like that is everything” Dr Audrey, founder of CLICK Arts Foundation said. “It was always conceived as a joyful, uplifting approach to mid-life aimed to be relatable and empowering through our amazing line up – but to hear that it made people feel “special, individual, unique” – that is the heart of the Café…to remind people that Mid life is not about guessing who we’re becoming, but owning who we are!!”
The Age of Love Café is an annual event, but you’ll catch the Squad at the Market Square supporting the Northampton Film Festival Great Fire event on September 20 – and we hope you’ll join them in a (family-friendly) routine!
CLICK Arts Foundation is a national charity for the advancement of the performing and visual arts for the public benefit in particular in Northampton, Milton Keynes, and the surrounding Midlands region by providing grant funding for grassroots arts organisations in that area to support inclusive public participation and to support national arts organisations and institutions.